Ethiopian Potatoes and Peas with Split Pea Puree

This is really just an Ethiopian vegetable stew repackaged a different way that photographs well and would make for a nice dish at a dinner party. You can eat this with a fork or spoon, or scoop it up with traditional injera. If you are using injera, make sure the potatoes are cut small enough to be picked up with your fingers.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed
- 3 cups water
- 1.5 lbs small red potatoes
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 sweet onions, halved and sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp tumeric
- berbere to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tomato, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- water as needed
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of allspice and cloves
- 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- parsley, to garnish

METHOD
1. Boil the 3 cups of water and get the split peas cooking. Simmer, covered, until very soft and breaking apart.
2. While split peas are cooking, parboil the potatoes, whole, for about 10 mins until tender but still firm. Rise with cold water and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 15 mins, until golden brown. Add pepper, garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 5-8 mins more, until onions are a deep brown. Add tomatoes and bring to bubbling.
4. Drain split peas in a fine sieve and add to the onion mixture. Add tomato paste and mix well. Blend until smooth in a blender or food processor, adding water as needed and adjust seasonings as taste. The mixture should be pourable but not runny. Set aside.
5. Heat margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces and fry until golden. Add add spices and fry for 2 mins. Add peas, paste, and water and mix well. Let bubble until peas are cooked and mixture has thickened.
6. To serve: pour some lentil mixture into a shallow bowl. Top with some potato mixture and garnish with chopped parsley.

Mushroom Peas Curry / Matar Khumb Curry Recipe

I love those small recipe booklets by Neeta Mehta. They are nicely themed and mostly have traditional and easy recipes. This particular one where I got this Matar Khumb recipe has Punjabi recipes that are extremely popular yet I've never tried before, except maybe the Paneer Butter Masala recipe.

I've already tried two recipes from the book and loved them both. Here's the first one.

Mushroom Peas Curry / Matar Khumb Curry

Adapted from Neeta Mehta's Punjabi Recipes

Serves 4

What I Used:

200gm/about 4 cups mushrooms, washed and chopped into 6 (I used white button mushrooms)

1 cup green peas

2 cardamoms/elaichi/elakka

2 cloves/laung/grampoo

1 tbsp dhania powder / malli podi

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp garam masala

A pinch of turmeric powder

4tbsp oil

Grind together to a puree

2 large tomatoes

1 green chilli

Grind together to a paste

1 large onion

6-8 flakes garlic

1" piece ginger

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil. Add the cardamom and cloves. Fry for 1 min.

3. To this, add the onion-garlic-ginger paste. Cook stirring continuously until light brown. Remove from fire.

4. Add the masalas now - dhania powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and haldi with some salt.

5. Return to low heat and cook for a few seconds. Add 1 tbsp water.

6. Add the tomato-green chilli puree. Cook till dry and oil separates from the gravy (about 10 mins)

7. Next, add the mushrooms and peas. Stir fry for 5 min.

8. Add 2 cups water. Cook on low medium heat for about 15 min till peas turn soft and oil separates. Adjust salt.

Serve curry with rice or chappatis. I served mine with some jeera rice.

Curried Potato Salad

Perhaps its my partial Irish ancestry but I love potatoes. I also love potato salad, but it can be a bit bland and boring after a few picnics. Curry powder and some peas spice up this version, and you can leave the mayo behind of you like. It tastes great both warm and cold.

INGREDIENTS
- 6-8 small potatoes
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp oil (or use some vegan mayo)
- 1 tsp curry powder (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup thawed frozen peas, or cooked fresh peas
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

METHOD
1. Boil potatoes until tender. Rinse under cold water for a few mins, then cut into chunks. While still warm, toss in the rest of the ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

Gajar Matar Recipe - Carrots & Peas In A Milk Gravy

The moment I saw this on their blog, I knew I wanted to try it. It seemed so simple and the story behind it was quite amazing. I tried it a few weeks ago and have been wanting to post it ever since! 

The fact that cilantro / coriander leaves was a must and not just a garnishing suggestion made me wait until I had some fresh leaves ready to be used. 

I didn't have onions so added a few chopped shallots instead. I also omitted the cream, but otherwise, the recipe is 'authentic' :D 

Gajar Matar Recipe

Carrots and peas cooked in a creamy spiced milk gravy

serves 2

What I Used:

Carrots - 1.5 cups, chopped
Peas - 1 cup
Shallots - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Milk - 2 cups
Cumin / jeera- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a generous pinch
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala -1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - add as much as you want, chopped

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the jeera. Once they splutter, add the shallots and fry lightly. 

2. Add peas, turmeric and chilli powder to this and stir around for 2 minutes. 

3. Add the chopped carrots and a little water (not more than 1/4 cup) and cook covered, until the carrots are semi-cooked. You can also pre-cook the carrots separately or in the microwave. 

4. Add 1.5 cups milk and top it off with the garam masala and salt. 

5. Keep fire on sim and cook covered for about 10 minutes. At this stage, the curry will be dry and the vegetables cooked. Add the rest of the milk (1/2 cup) and bring to boil. Do not let the gravy thicken too much because it will once you remove from fire. For a more creamy consistency, add err.. cream! 

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy! 

This is my entry to JFI - Cilantro hosted by Cilantro :D Wow! There's going to be a lot of Cilantro at the round up! 

Coriander Rice / Kothamalli Sadam Recipe

This is another recipe from Chandra Padmanabhan's Southern Spice. I have been trying more and more recipes from the book with good results and this kothamalli sadam recipe is definitely a winner. Both TH and I love fresh coriander and pretty much anything made with it. When I have some extra leaves on the verge of wilting and wasting away, I chop them and add them to dosa batter, that's how much we love it!

The original recipe in the book called for mixed vegetables to be added but since I didn't have any carrots or cauliflower, I only added frozen peas. You can keep this recipe as the base and add vegetables and even paneer/tofu to get a different dish each time.


Recipe For Coriander Rice

What I Used:
(Serves 2)

Basmati rice (or any long-grained rice) - 2 cups
Green peas - 1/4 cup (optional)
Salt - to taste

For the Coriander Paste:

Fresh coriander leaves - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 1, medium
Green chillies - 2, more or less

For Tempering:

Oil - 2 tsp
Chana dal / kadala paruppu - 1 tsp
Urad dal / uzhunnu parippu - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a generouns pinch
Curry leaves - a few

For Garnish:

Roasted cashewnuts - a handful
Chopped coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

How I Made It:

1. Soak the basmati rice in some water for 20 mins and cook in sufficient water until the grains are cooked, yet firm. I pressure cooked it this time for one whistle with 1:1 rice:water ratio.

2. Grind the ingredients for the coriander paste with little water.

3. Heat oil for tempering and roast the chana dal and urad dal until golden brown. Add the curry leaves and hing and mix well.

4. Now add the ground coriander paste and blend well adding enough salt. Throw in the green peas and let it simmer for 2-3 mins.

5. Switch off fire and mix in the rice while the paste is still hot.

6. Garnish with cashewnuts and chopped coriander leaves.

I served it with a simple cucumber raita and papad. The flavour will be a true delight for coriander lovers!

This recipe goes to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. For previous hosts and recaps of WHB check out Haalo's blog. 

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Please keep those recipes coming for The Recipe Diary Contest.

Thanks to everyone who started contributing already. You are all that much closer to winning the cookbook of your choice!

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Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera sounds soooo much better than what this actually is: Clean out the Fridge Pasta. I used to hate pasta primavera because back when I was a vegetarian it seemed to be the only thing available when I went out to eat (kind of like the way I feel about salad and grilled veggies now that I am a vegan). Hmm. That tells you how long ago I was a vegetarian; I actually had the time and money to out to a restaurant. Anyway, despite Son #1's protests about the presence of mushrooms, this dish went over very well. It's not overly saucy, so increase the flour and soy milk if you want more.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

- 300g capellini, cooked

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced

- 1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks

- 8oz sliced mushrooms

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed

- generous tbsp of flour

- 1 1/2 to 2 cups soy milk

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 3 mins, until beginning to soften. Add red pepper and carrot and saute for 5 -7 mins, until carrots are starting to get tender. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms have released their water.

2. Add peas and heat through. Sprinkle flour over veggies and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of soy milk and nutritional yeast and bring to bubbling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Drain pasta and return to the pot over medium heat. Pour sauce over top and mix well. Add more soy milk if pasta is too dry.

Orzo Risotto

I was really in the mood for a risotto but didn't have a single grain of arborio rice in the house. I did, however, have a bag of orzo pasta. Since it looks an awful lot like rice, I thought it would make a good substitute.

INGREDIENTS

- 5 cups salted water

- 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1/2 cup hot vegetable broth (or more)

- 1 cup frozen peas

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Get the salted water boiling in a pot. Add pasta and cook for 4-5 mins, until pasta is softened but still has plenty of bite. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt margarine in a pan over medium heat. Add pasta and mix well, coating each piece of pasta. Add half of the wine, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat with remaining wine.

3. Add enough hot broth, a bit at a time, stirring regularly, until pasta is al dente. Add peas, yeast, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, and cook until peas are done. Serve.

Paneer Peas Pulao / Paneer Matar Pilaf

Though I collect dishes-to-cook-over-weekend all through the week, come Sunday and I am too lazy to do anything much. I hate myself for that cuz I am letting all the lovely natural light go away when I could cook something new and photograph it!


Anyway, on this particular Sunday that I made the peas pulao, I was too lazy to make a side-dish with the paneer I had so I added it to the pulao! The light was just too perfect for me to pass on taking food pics. No harm done and so much time saved, right? Well, TH would have still preferred Palak Paneer to go with the peas pulao but when one's wife is lazy occasionally, one can't complain too much, right? ;)

What I Used:

Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Paneer cubes - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 3
Ginger garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
Cumin / jeera / jeerakam seeds - 1 tsp
Whole black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick - a 1″ piece
Bay leaves - 1
Ghee / Clarified butter (or veg oil) - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Soak the basmati rice in enough water to cover it, for 15 mins. Meanwile, grind the pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon together. If you have a pestle and mortar, that will be best.

2. Heat the ghee in a pan and throw in the cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add the ground ingredients. Tear the bay leaf into 3 and add toss that in too.

3. Now add the onions, split green chillies and saute until onions turn transparent.

4. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute well for a minute.

5. Add the peas and paneer cubes and mix well for another 2-3 mins.

6. Drain the rice completely and add to the pan. Mix thoroughly.

6. Add 2 cups water to the above and let it cook until the rice is done. Alternately, you can add equal ratio of water (1.5 cups rice : 1.5 cups water) and pressure cook for one whistle. Once the pressure leaves, open lid immediately and transfer to another bowl.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with side-dish of choice.

I was too lazy that Sunday which is why instead of using up the paneer to make a side dish, I added it to the peas pulaoa and served it with just cucumber raita and pickle ;)

Matar Paneer - Peas with Indian Cottage Cheese

This is a recipe totally "flicked" from Jugalbandi cuz this month they are featured on Zlamushka's Taste & Create.
I had been meaning to make this dish for a while and had some left over paneer after making palak paneer. I always have frozen peas in the fridge, though my mom keeps telling me I should get fresh ones. Well, I will if I find them around, but till then, frozen ones will do. They are just so convenient!

I have also been planning to make paneer at home one of these days. But my lazy self found that Mustafa Stores in Singapore stores paneer (among everything else under the sun!) so I am happily buying and stocking up on frozen Amul Paneer cubes.

Anyway, I have the recipe below, the way I modified it but I have stuck to it pretty much entirely.

What I Used:

Serves 2-3

Inspired by Recipe from Jugalbandi

Cubed cottage cheese - 2 cups, fried a light brown.
Green peas - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 1 cup
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 2 tsp
Tomatoes, pureed - 2 cups
Capsicum/green bell pepper - 1/4 cup, diced (optional - changes flavour of the dish)
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
All-purpose curry masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Milk cream - 2 tbsp
Chopped cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Butter/ghee (clarified butter) - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Dunk the onions in boiling water and cook for a minute. Make a paste of this with ginger, garlic and cashews without adding water.

2. Heat the oil and butter in a deep pan. Add the onion puree and a pinch of salt. Fry it on a medium flame until the paste turns light brown and starts drying out a bit (7 minutes or so).

4. Add the chilli powder, turmeric and tomato puree. Cook for five minutes on medium.

5. Add the peas. (If using frozen peas, microwave on HIGH for a minute, just to thaw and add them at the very end). This is what I did.

6. Add the cumin and curry masala powders. Add salt to taste and cook until the mixture becomes a little thicker than the consistency you desire in the final dish.

7. Add the cream and sugar. Stir, taste for salt and seasonings, then add the paneer cubes (save a few for garnish).

8. Heat it through, turn off the flame.

9. Keep it covered for 15 minutes for the flavours to blend together.

Thank you guys, for a lovely recipe. Its not one of my simple recipes but definitely worth the time and effort.

I served the matar paneer with chapatis.

This goes off to Zlamushka's event - Taste and Create.

Nupur's Ultimate Bombay Street Food - Pav Bhaji

Ever since we reached Singapore, TH and I have been craving for chaat. It is definitely available in places like Little India and Serangoon Road but when we do go there once in a while, we opt for a full fledged meal and never chaat. One day I decided I should just make pav bhaji at home. Pav Bhaji is TH's favourite and the easiest to make when it comes to variety of ingredients involved.

The final taste was definitely 'cleaner' than you would find it on the streets but I did add copious amounts of butter like they do :D

This recipe is inspired by Nupur. Hers was the first search result when I was looking for a recipe. I have merely recreated her recipe here with the changes in measurements that I made.

What I Used:

Serves 4

Cauliflower - 2 cups, cleaned and chopped
Potatoes - 1 cup, cubed
Capsicum/green bell pepper - 1, minced
Tomato paste - 1 cup (or fresh tomato puree - 1.5 cups)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala - 1.5 tbsp (I used Kohinoor)
Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp and slightly more
Onions - 1/2 cup, minced
Coriander leaves - a bunch, minced

How I Made It:

1. Pressure cook the cauliflower and potatoes till tender.

2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and saute the capsicum. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 20 seconds.

3. Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder, some salt and saute for a few more seconds.

4. Now add the tomato paste, peas, boiled potatoes and cauliflower, pav bhaji masala and butter.

5. Keep sauteeing and mashing it together till it is a smooth mixture, adding water as required. I used a potato masher like Nupur suggested and it worked like a charm. This is the step where you need a lot of patience. Do this saute-mix-mash step for about 25-30 minutes. I adjusted masala and chilly at this stage but my ingredients list mentions it with the changes I made. When you try it, change the spice level according to your taste.

6. Serve with pav if you are lucky enough to get it where you are. I served with buns, which were a far cry from the real thing. But it had to do. Slice it into half, dab on a generous amount of butter and toast it lightly. Serve the bhaji with some chopped onions, lemon wedges and coriander leaves on top.

It was a yummy dinner. Thank you Nupur! I am sending this to Sunshinemom's event - Food In Colour - Red.

Corn Peas Tomato Salad

I am not much of a salad person. I mean, I do like them but not as a meal in itself. Most of the salads are ones I make as an accompaniment to the main course. Because of this I don't spend much time on them, especially the dressing. After beginning to work, I find myself pressed for time to make dinner and I feel bad when there is just one gravy and one curry with rice. TH never complains but still I feel guilty. So salads like these are my solution! I sometimes fill the gap with raita too, but about that in a different post :)

Now onto the salad.

What I Used:

Serves 2 (on the side)

Boiled Corn kernels - 1 cup
Boiled peas - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1/2 cup
Finely Chopped tomatoes - 1/2 cup
Minced garlic - 1/4 tsp (1-2 cloves)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (I used white)
Lime juice - 1 tbsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mix the salt, garlic and pepper with the lime juice.

2. Mix all the veggies well and add the above lime juice mixture 10 minutes before serving.

*Notes*

- I sometimes mix this with plain steamed rice and serve it as a rice dish. It looks colorful and is a welcome change from just plain rice.

- This salad is also good for making rolls with chapatis. To hold the salad together, you can add some light mayonnaise.

- You may also like my Pear-Apple Salad with Honey Dressing.

Mattar Tofu Paneer

Did I ever mention that one reason I became vegan was because I hated cheese? No? That's because I loved cheese. I especially loved Indian paneer, and I often made my own. But, that was back when I suckled at the teat of death (as Isa would say, ha ha). Mattar paneer is one of my favourite dishes, and this version uses pressed tofu in place of paneer.

INGREDIENTS

For the paneer

- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, sliced in half horizontally, and pressed under a fairly heavy weight for at least 30 mins, then cubed

- 3 tbsp soy milk

- 1 tbsp plain soy yogurt

- 1 tbsp water

- 1/2 tsp miso

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, finely ground

METHOD

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl, making sure miso dissolves. Add tofu to frying pan and spray lightly with oil. Fry for about 10 mins, turning regularly, until all sides are golden.

2. Add miso mixture to pan and mix well. Allow liquid to absorb/evaporate (will happen fairly quickly), then remove tofu from pan.

INGREDIENTS

For the curry

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 onion, halved and sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp garam masala

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 2 cups frozen peas

- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes)

- tofu paneer

- 1/2 cup plain soy milk

- 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Heat frying pan over medium heat. Melt butter and fry onions, cilantro, and ginger for 5 mins. Add spices and fry for 2 mins.

2. Add peas and tomatoes (with juices) and cook for 5 mins. Add paneer, soymilk, and lemon juice. Bring to bubbling and let simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

Gobi Ka Kheema/Minced Cauliflower and Peas Curry

I remember seeing this dish a long while back on Suganya's Tasty Palettes. I followed her link to the original recipe on Ashwini's Food for Thought and immediately fell in love. The fact that both of them take amazing pictures could have also played a small part :D



Anyway, now am at home and my sister's kids are also here. They are vegetarians and one day there was just rasam and potato masala for lunch for them. I quickly looked up this recipe and it turned so so yummy that I am sure to make this again and again.

Gobi Ka Kheema
(recipe adapted from here)

What I Used:
(serves 4)

Cauliflower - 1 medium, cleaned and chopped fine
Bay leaves - 1-2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 2 medium, chopped fine
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 big, pureed
Peas - 1/4 cup, boiled
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tsp + 2 tsp

How I Made It:

1. Heat 3 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped cauliflower till its semi-fried and golden brown.

2. Simultaneously, boil the peas till its cooked. Keep both aside.

3. Heat the 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the red chilli powder and the garam masala and fry for a minute.

4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 30 seconds.

5. Add the pureed tomatoes and the peas. Mix well.

6. Now add the fried cauliflower and mix again till the moisture from the tomatoes leaves the curry.

7. Add salt and remove from fire when the curry is thick enough and the ingredients have blended perfectly.

8. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

We had it with rice but next time I intend to make it as a side to chappathis. It was really yummy!